


Dirty Laundry

by ZephiraZ



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 22:38:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9569807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZephiraZ/pseuds/ZephiraZ
Summary: Wherein an alchemist does some laundry, befriends an elf who may or may not be Aethas Sunreaver, and eventually makes some travel plans.





	

Though many people frowned on her choice of location, Kathelynn was very fond of fishing in the Dalaran sewers. It was the best place to find Mana Feeders, and surprises always drifted down from the city above. On a good day she could fish up discarded jewelry and lost coin purses, though most often the sewer yielded junk such as old boots and failed alchemical experiments. Today, however, Kathelynn fished up a pair of underwear. As she studied the garment - bright red briefs with gold embroidery typical of Thalassian fashion - more and more clothes drifted through the sewer, until nearly an entire wardrobe filled her fishing hole. It took her several minutes to fish it all up, but eventually Kathelynn had it all collected in a tidy pile.

Amongst the clothes she found a large canvas sack with the name _Shandy Glossgleam’s Laundry Service_ in bold text and an address and apartment number scrawled beneath it. Most notable, however, was a tabard bearing the unmistakable crest of the Sunreavers. Some poor elf had sent their clothes to be laundered, only to have them dumped in the water. No doubt someone was having a good laugh about this somewhere.

Thinking any fish in the area would have been scared off by the deluge of foreign objects, Kathelynn decided to call it a day. She gathered all the clothes into the canvas sack, and headed home.

The next day found Kathelynn with a filled canvas sack over her shoulder knocking at the door of a stranger’s apartment. After a moment the door cracked open just far enough for a blood elf to stick his head out the door; freckles splashed across his nose and unruly red hair hung down in a sheet.

“Yes? What is it?” the elf asked, tense and wary.

“Hi there! I do believe I have something of yours, if you’d care to take a look,” Kathelynn answered, shifting slightly to let the canvas sack fall off her shoulder. It landed on the pavement with a muted thud.

The elf furrowed his brow, uncertain, but stepped out to inspect the bag, clothed in only a bathrobe. He carefully checked the label then opened the drawstring to look inside. Satisfied, he stood and scowled down at his guest.

“Yes, this is mine,” the elf said curtly. “It was supposed to be here two days ago! One would think with how short your lifespans are, humans would be much more punctual about their business. I’d like a word with your boss, and-”

“Oh no, I don’t work for Glossgleam!” Kathelynn interjected.

“You- You don’t?” the elf asked, his scowl quickly melting away.

“Not at all. You see, I was fishing in the sewers yesterday, when all these dirty clothes came floating down the pipes. Scared all the fish away, so I dredged em up and washed em myself.”

“…Oh.” Suddenly at a loss for words, a deep blush rose in the elf’s cheeks. “My apologies, ma'am. Thank you for the kindness. Here, allow me to pay you for your trouble.” He conjured a small portal just above the palm of his hand and withdrew from it a coinpurse, then began rooting around inside.

“That’s okay, I don’t need any payment. I’m just glad to be of aid. Besides, you already paid Shandy, didn’t you?”

“I did, but for a service he did not render. You should be fairly compensated for your time.”

“I am not going to profit off another’s misfortune. Put your coin away.”

The elf relented, visibly deflating. His shoulders slumped as he gathered the satchel containing his laundry.

“Is this the first time this happened you you?” Kathelynn asked after a moment’s pause.

The elf shook his head. “Often I find my trousers in the fountain, or various small pieces of clothing go missing entirely. I suspect someone in the Silver Covenant paid him to tamper with my laundry, but I have no proof.”

“You know,” Kathelynn ventured, “you don’t have to keep going back to Glossgleam if this is how he treats you. I bet he charges out the ass, too. Why don’t I come back next week and take care of your laundry for you? I’d take just a quarter of what he charges, and can guarantee you won’t find your clothes drifting through the sewers again!”

The elf pondered her offer, still closed and cautious, but the sudden perk in his ears belied his interest. “Very well, I accept your offer.”

“Excellent! The name’s Kathelynn Parma, by the way. See you next week?” Kathelynn said with a beaming smile and extended her hand to shake on it. The elf mirrored her action, but hesitated at the last second. “If you’d prefer your privacy, you don’t need to tell me your name. I know how you Kirin Tor types can be with secrecy. Deal?”

“Deal.” The elf grasped her hand, a look of relief spreading across his face. “Until next we meet, Lady Parma.”

The next week Kathelynn made her way to the elf’s apartment early in the morning to pick up the laundry, and returned it that evening. He explained that his refusal to share his name was for her protection, to prevent her from getting caught up in the rivalry between the Sunreavers and the Silver Covenant. Over time the two became good friends, and spent evenings together in secret sharing food and stories of their homelands. For her part, Kathelynn was fascinated by the Sin'dorei and eager to learn anything about their culture, while he came to value the presence of a friend who was entirely unrelated to business or political conflict. Never did she learn his name.

Two years passed. The Lich King was slain, and the world burned beneath Deathwing’s flame. A new Warchief rose to power. Soon after, tensions began to rise in Dalaran. The city guard’s presence vastly increased. Bar fights became more common. Once-neutral shops extorted or turned away customers wearing the wrong banner. Even Kathelynn’s fish sales suffered; no Horde-affiliated mage wanted food or alchemical ingredients tainted by the hands of a human, while Alliance-affiliated mages began avoiding her wares simply because she welcomed Horde customers.

It was after one of these days in which not a single sale was made that Kathelynn trudged her way home. She fumbled with the lock on her apartment door, locked it again behind her, then once inside carelessly tossed her overcoat in the vague direction of a coat rack. She made her way through the entry to her living room, but stopped in her tracks when she saw what lay within.

Absolutely nothing. What should have been a chaotic mess of books and knick-knacks was utterly bare, the entire room stripped clean. In place of her couch stood an elven arcane golem, about two heads taller than she. Beside it stood an elf, making some minute adjustments to the golem’s enchantments.

Her friend.

“Excuse you, just what is going on here?” Kathelynn asked, a bit louder than intended. “Isn’t it a bit early for laundry day? What happened to my _home_?”

The elf dropped his spell and turned to face Kathelynn when he heard her. Deep lines of worry gouged his face. The fear evident in his eyes was enough to give Kathelynn pause.

“You’ve been seen,” he said. “The Silver Covenant knows you are connected to me. They’re trailing you as we speak.”

A chill went down Kathelynn’s spine. She knew relations were rough between the two factions, but just what made her friend important enough for the Covenant to send goons after his acquiantances? “Hold on, what do you mean they’re-”

“There’s no time. You have to leave the city. Now.” The elf shoved a small golden disc in Kathelynn’s hand. It fit snugly in her palm, and was etched in spidery Thalassian text surrounding a gleaming purple gem. “I’ve already packed your belongings. This will allow you to acces them in void storage, though I recommend experimenting with it later.”

“Well what’s with that robot there, is that to scare away bad guys?”

The elf glanced at the golem behind him, having briefly forgotten its presence. “Precisely. It’s attuned to you, and will keep you safe from harm. You can dismiss and summon it from void storage as with anything else. Now go! I’ve arranged a portal at Krasus’ landing to take you far from here, and packed gold and traveling gear; enchanted robes, a staff, food, and the like. Just speak with the Flight Master. She’s Sunreaver-affiliated, and will know what to do.”

The elf dismissed the sentry and tried to guide Kathelynn to the door, but she swatted his hand away. “Wait, wait!”

“What?”

“So I’m banished, just like that? Will I ever see you again? Can I ever come home?”

The elf wrung his hands and dropped his gaze, his shoulders slumped in guilt. “I don’t know. I am truly sorry to do this to you. It was never my intention to put you in harm’s way. Perhaps after hostilities blow over I will seek you out to bring you home, and seek forgiveness then. For now, though, your safety is my top priority.”

“I understand,” Kathelynn said at length. “Just don’t go putting yourself in any danger while I’m gone, okay? I’ll need someone to come home to in the first place!” She smiled then, and he smiled back.

“Until next we meet. May the eternal sun guide you, Lady Parma.”

“And you as well, Sir Elf. Until then, maybe I’ll go punch Deathwing in the face. Who knows.” With one last smile, Kathelynn turned to leave.

“What- no, don’t do that! That’s _dangerous_!” The elf lunged to stop her, but it was too late.

She was gone.


End file.
